


The Wait

by Aalvina



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Limbo, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-25
Updated: 2018-06-19
Packaged: 2019-05-13 15:54:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 8,869
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14751848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aalvina/pseuds/Aalvina
Summary: On a mission, Alec finds a way to defeat Lilith but she sends him to limbo. Magnus and Alec's family have to deal with his mysterious disappearance while he struggles to come back with the aid of a new ally.





	1. How it begun

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! I am new to this fandom, I only watched the show but read a few things about the books. I hope you'll like this fanfic. I finished writing it, so I'll try posting each week. This chapter sets the stage, more will happen I promise. Comment if you like it please.

Magnus was trying to read a book but his eyes kept shifting to the clock, then to his phone. Alec was late, on a night he was not supposed to work. His shift had ended an hour ago and he still had not warned Magnus for his eventual, and now real, delay.

The phone buzzed and Magnus finally saw a text from Alexander.

« Sorry, last minute mission, found a lead on a way to defeat Lilith, probably nothing, worth checking out. I'll be home in a couple of hours. »

Magnus smiled and decided to go to sleep, Alec would be mad if he found him still waiting for him so late. The Lilith's chase was the only thing the shadow world was doing lately, they had no idea what this greater demon was after but it could not be good. To be sure they were always ready to react to any threat the different Institute had two heads working half a day each. Alec was sharing his work with Lydia, they made a great team and it allowed Alec to move in with Magnus since he did not need to be at the Institute all day.

The next morning Magnus woke up with his alarm going off, he groaned and reached for Alec only to find the other side of the bed empty. Suddenly wide awake, he searched for any sign that Alec got home but no shoes or clothes laid in the room. He searched every room in the loft before shakingly calling for Izzie.

"Where's Alexander ? " he asked not waiting for her to say hello.

"What do you mean ? He had a last minute assignment and went home last night. " Izzie's voice was wavering, slowly fearing the worst.

" He did not. Izzie, were was Alec going last night ? "

" I am looking, wait I found it. A library downtown, I'll text you the adress, Clary will portal us. "

Jace, Izzie, Clary and Lydia found Magnus trembling, on the floor laid thousand books, pages ripped from them. It looked like a tornado was there. Magnus was holding Alec's bow, trying to trace him, to find him somewhere.

" I can't find him. " he turned toward Jace who was holding his parabatai rune. His look defeated.

" I can't feel him. "

Alec was gone, alive but gone.

***

Alec woke up in a forest, a growl had him on his feet instantly and reaching for his bow that was missing. In front of him appeared a giant demonic beast, one he had never seen before. He scanned his surroundings for any weapon and saw a seraphic blade on the ground next to him. The beast was getting closer and in one single movement he picked up the blade and thurst it in the creature chest.

Avoiding the corpse from falling on him he finally got a moment to look around. The forest was surreal, purple trees and green flowers. He was not on Earth anymore. Trying to collect his thoughts, his eyes stumbled upon a book. He took it slowly and memories came rushing back. The book of spell the syllie he had found told him about, the library, the wind, the cold. Lilith. She found him, and sent him here.

" Who are you ? " a voice asked behind him. He turned quickly to face a young woman, her eyes green with a vertical slit like a snake. A warlock he thought.

" I am a shadowhunter. Lilith sent me there, because of this book. "

Lost for lost, he had to hope this was not a foe. She looked to the book, then to him and her serpent stare got warmer somehow.

" You got the book, I got the sword. " She said making a long thin sword appear in her hand.

" What does that mean ? "

" Lilith send things dangerous for her here. The sword and the book are the tools to kill her. "

" And where are we ? Can anyone help us ? "

" No one is here except for us, from what I know. I have only been here for a few weeks. And this is Limbo. The space between the portals, where all is lost. "

Alec took in the information, his hand went to his side, trying to feel Jace through their bond but felt nothing. He looked up to the strange warlock woman and realized they were each other's only hope.

" I am Alexander Lightwood. "

" Jane Dawson. "


	2. Year one to five

The Lightwood searched, slayed and moved heaven on Earth for a year before the Clave finally announced Alec's disappearance was not to be investigated anymore. Jace's parabatai rune was still there but was no use to track Alec, whatever techniques they tried it felt like Alec was just out of reach. Jace was moving on automatism, half of him missing. When the Clave gave up on finding Alec he found himself breathing again, feeling the loss for the first time. A year after Alec's disappearance, he allowed himself to grieve.

"I am going to leave." He said to Clary who was drawing outside the Institute. She raised her head but said nothing.

"I can't stay, Alec is not here and everything screams to me that he is not. I'll go to Idris, try to learn Herondale history, find a purpose."

"Do you need me to come?" she asked.

"Your life is here, Simon, Luke. Everyone is here. You can't…"

"Idris is one portal away. I want to come with you. Do you want me to?"

He let a breath of relief leave him and said : "Yes."

* * *

No trace of the syllie her brother had interrogated, no word about a way to kill Lilith. Nothing. Izzie whipped her whip around the room, trying to get some rage out of her. She let the whip fall on the floor and went straight to the punching bag and hit it with all her frustration. She lost track of time, ignored her bleeding hands, the tears in her eyes and kept punching.

A soft hand stopped her bloodied one, Izzie stopped and turned toward Rafael. A group of shadowhunters were looking toward her, scared to get closer.

"Who called you?"

"Does it matter?"

She shook her head to answer before putting it against the vampire's shoulder.

"I am tired. Everybody stopped fighting, acting as if he died. He is alive Rafael, somewhere Alec is alive and I need to find him."

"You won't".

Izzie got out of his arms, her eyes shooting daggers.

"How dare you?! You don't know that! I can, I will find my brother."

"Izzie." His voice was still so soft; it irked her how he could calm her with a few worlds. Except she did not want to be calmed. She turned away, took her whip and got out, grabbing an assignment from a pile of papers and left. She needed a demon to kill, or ten.

* * *

Magnus stood in the loft, Catarina by his side. He spent the last two years searching for an answer, any answer without success. His hands were trembling, his fingers barely touching the furniture, the clothes. He had left the loft the day of Alec's disappearance. The place seemed way too small and yet too big. The empty space reminded him of the man missing from his life.

So Magnus left for Catarina's, the loft stayed the same, he only went back on lonely nights when he thought he could somehow find a trace of Alec in his clothes, a smell on the pillow.

"Are you sure Magnus?"

"No. it feels like I am giving up."

"I know you're not."

"I am not. I'll wait for him to come back. I don't care how long it takes; I don't care if I have to win him all over again. There will be no one after Alexander, there can't be. So I'll wait but I need to get away from here, to move on from this place."

Catarina did not say anything, she watched her friend pack many suitcases of clothes, putting Alec's belongings in a box and magically sending all of it away. Magnus was leaving, refusing to tell her where he was going. Magnus kissed her on the cheek and she circled her arms around him.

"Don't go dying on me my friend." She whispered. Magnus stayed silent, a silence that would haunt her. He put a phone in her hand, one number registered: his.

With a move of his fingers he opened a portal and disappeared.

* * *

Somewhere in limbo a hand was punching again and again against the invisible wall separating limbo from the real world. Blood everywhere, her knuckles cracking from her desperate try to breach the invisible barrier Jane was screaming from despair.

Giving up her foolish attempt she turned and kneeled next to Alec's body. Blood kept flowing from his wounds. Her magic barely able to keep him conscious and all around them demons were getting closer.

"Alex, listen to me. There is only one way."

"No, don't, I can't let you sacrifice..."

"I don't care. It's nothing, except a lot of energy but you have to understand. If we do this, it's forever."

He laughed weakly.

"At this rate forever won't be long." He grabbed her head and rested their foreheads against one another. "We talked about it. If you are sure, I am okay with it."

She breathed in deeply and backed away, rolling his left sleeve and her right one.

"Remember: focus on your angel blood."

She opened her arm with a small knife and used her magic, making both their blood glow. Their screams echoed in the forest and she had to grasp at the end of her magic to keep wards up protecting them.

Alec, barely conscious took his stele and said: "Remember: focus on your demonic blood."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I hope you liked it. Next time I will explore more of Alec and Jane's relationship in limbo.  
> I think I'll post twice a week.


	3. Years six to ten

Magnus woke up, his eyes shifted to the man who was now dressing.

“It was nice.” Started the man.

“Get out.”

“Seriously?! What the hell?”

“Get out.”

Magnus barely kept his eyes from changing into his cat eyes. He heard his one-night stand leave the place loudly. In the bathroom, Magnus looked at his reflexion with disgust and shame. Every year it was the same thing, on the anniversary of Alec’s disappearance he would get insanely drunk, unable to go through the night sober. Then, he always went out and came back with any man or woman he could find, trying to forget what this night was, trying to go back to his old, vain self.

Every morning after was the same, anger, guilt, shame, disgust. He took a long shower, and let the cold water wake him from his hangover. Quickly prepared a potion for his headache and went to his balcony.

His only pride in all of this was that he had refused Camille advances five months ago. This oh-so-tempting proposition: “forget the boy, come back to me. I am what you need. I can make you happy.”

For one fleeting second he had considered it because Camille was the only person who actually could make him go back to a time before Alec. Each passing year, month, week, day, hour even without the love of his life was slowly killing him. However, Alec was the love of his life and Camille his past. Going bad would be worse than his stupid drunken hook-up. Remembering Alexander was painful but it was necessary, Alec was worth the painful memories.

They still had no idea where he was, many rumours went around the Shadow World: he was kept captive by Lilith, trapped in an alternate universe, dead but magic kept the parabatai bond active, on a secret mission for the Clave, some even thought he had joined Lilith.

Magnus did not know what the worse was, thinking of Alec suffering in a cell was awful and yet he preferred that to the idea of Alec in an alternate dimension. Selfishly Magnus would rather be there to heal Alec than discovering that he had started a new life.

Each passing year was one more separating Magnus immortal being from Alec’s mortal life. He should wish Alec to be happy somewhere with another man or even another version of Magnus there. Yet he couldn’t and this thought disgusted him more than anything.

 

* * *

 

“Nothing! How come there is nothing in this place.” Said Alec frustrated. His left hand, covered with dark bandages was flipping through a book, while the table he was seated at was overflowing with books.

Jane came back from one of the huge library corner and put another pile of books on their table.

“It’s the only source of information in limbo and even then, not much can beat the Atlantis library.”

“Yeah.” Mumbled Alec. “Magnus would love to see all these spells.”

“Any warlock would. I guess I am the lucky one, only 45 years old and already I have read more on magic than many warlocks.”

“If we ever get back, try to keep the bragging to a minimum.” He lectured.

“Alex. I love you but if we ever go back, I’ll brag about staying alive for years in limbo with you as my only human contact.”

“Am I so awful?”

“Not anymore but, come on, the first two years you were such a bore.” She teased

“We were chased after by all kind of demons! And you were not better, all chatty.”

Jane rolled her eyes and with a flick of the wrist had two glasses appear and began to pour a blue liquid in them.

“Atlantis booze, this would make your darling jealous. This drink is legendary; we may be the first to taste it in a dozen centuries.”

Alec took the drink and tasted it; the burning of the alcohol was mixed with a salty after-taste that was strange but good. Jane coughed a bit.

“It is strong.” He said.

She smiled at him while they were drinking.

“You’re the only reason I made it this far Jane.”

His eyes stayed on his drink but he heard her move and take his head in her hands.

“Knowing you is the only thing that makes all of this bearable.” she said.

He leaned his forehead against her and they stayed silent.

 

* * *

 

Izzie looked in the mirror; she was wearing a blue dress but kept changing her hair. Jace and Clary were getting married today, moving forward. The two of them were the new power couple in Idris. Both with pure angel blood, their weeding was almost royal. Clary’s link to the downworld made this wedding a demonstration of the shadow world unity.  _A farce_  she thought. Lilith was still wreaking havoc from time to time; many downworlders were allying with her. The syllie queen was the first to join her rank and the Clave had to hide rebellious syllies. Lilith did not go out in the open but it was clear she was getting ready for a war. One the Clave would lose.

Izzie let her hair fall down but her eyes caught something, she got closer to the mirror and slowly held one grey hair between her two fingers. She was only 28 but her mother had warned her that she got a few grey hairs approaching her 30 th  birthday. Izzie kept staring at it, Alec would be 30 now. They were growing old apart from each other. At night, she imagined a life without Lilith. Alec would have married Magnus, making the Clave mad and not caring about it the least. She imagined herself holding a nephew in her arms. God knows there was many orphan in the shadow world, Magnus and he could adopt. They would be wonderful dads.

It was a better life but not a real one. Instead she was still a wreck, dodging her feelings with work and the thrill of danger. She had broken up and gone back with Rafael more times than she would admit. He was still there when she needed him, waiting. He once told her his immortality had made him patient, for her at least.

Now, standing in her old room, a grey hair in hand she thought it was time. Alec was 30 years old and it was time to let him go.

Izzie took the rings, got out and went toward the chapel, her hair flowing on her back with a grey one next to her ear.

 

* * *

 

“10 years.” He sighed.

Jane did not respond, there was nothing to say. Ten years in limbo, away. They had been everywhere and now stood in from of the last unknown place in here. The lake shone with the sun in front of them. No way out, no possibility to contact the outside world. They had read every book, interrogated every henchman Lilith had sent to them. The only thing they knew was the way to kill the Greater demon who was staying out of their reach.

“She sent more and more people here to kill us.” She told.

“You. They are here to kill you, they are always surprised to see me.”

Jane laughed.

“Stupid demons, can’t imagine a shadowhunter could survive.”

Alec let a laugh escape him. “Demons are stupid. You’d think she would get bored of not seeing any assassin come back. She must think you are invincible.”

“Both our strength is quite invincible.” Stated Jane.

“We should train again.” He said, wanting to stop thinking about their imprisonment. Jane was about to respond when she felt a pull from inside her.

“Alex! Lilith is pulling me back!” she screamed.

Alec grabbed her hand, his eyes darting everywhere as if some solution would come out.

“No! No! Fight it! She’ll kill you!”

“I can’t! She is too strong! Keep the book. I’ll survive, I’ll get you out.”

“No! Jane, please.”

With a great amount of strength she fought the pull to grasp Alec’s shoulder, staring him with her serpent eyes.

“One month max. I’ll find a way. Wait one month for me.”

“Okay.” He answered yet fear and despair shone in his eyes.

She stopped fighting the pull and suddenly she was no longer in limbo. Instead, she stood in an abandoned church; a hand pushed her shoulder to have her kneel. Jane raised her head and saw Lilith kneeling in front of her.

“Where is the sword?” the demon asked with a deep voice.

Jane refused to answer and Lilith just smiled at her.

“Kill her. If she has the sword, it will reappear with her death, if not it’ll rot in limbo with the book.”

Lilith got up and disappeared as a sword was put against Jane’s neck. Before she could even think of a way to save herself a portal opened exactly where Lilith disappeared and the church was suddenly flowed with shadowhunters.

One of them ran to her side, slayed her executioner and helped her 


	4. Hope and despair

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jane tries to save Alec and someone is a traitor.

" Who is she ? " asked Rafael. Luke, Simon in his daylighter condition, Meliorn represented seelies who rebelled against the queen. The warlocks were represented by an old woman called Adele though Magnus was here, called by Izzie.

“She says her name is Jane, she got in Lilith’s way and was sent in limbo for years.” Explained Lydia.

“How long?”

“She’s not sure. More than five years, she says she stopped counting after that.”

“Why did Lilith took her out of limbo?”

“She resisted, survived, apparently Lilith got bored.”

“And you trust her?” Adele wondered. Lydia stared at the High warlock she had been working with since Magnus left.

“No. She has no reason to trust us. We don’t have any either. Jane says she knows a way to kill Lilith but the book she needs stayed in limbo. She wants us to help.”

“Help break the fabric of worlds?” Magnus voice raised, irony seeping through his words.

“That is insane!” added Meliorn.

“This is our only way.” Argued Luke.

“I could help.” Started Clary. “I have been studying portals, mine are different, maybe if we work on how different kind of portals interacted we could get through in between them without breaking the balance of you know… everything.”

Silence fell on them as everyone considered this idea.

* * *

 

“Please no!” pleaded Jane but Lydia did not care.

“You are in no condition to refuse us. We are going to work together to get your book but for that, you must stay alive. There is no better team than the Lightwood/Herondale.”

Jane silently agreed but wanted nothing more than to run in the other direction. Lying to the Clave was one thing, she could not tell them she was rescuing Alec. Lilith did not know he was alive and there was no way she was going to let her know. However nothing had prepared her for his family, the look on their faces. People around them obviously had gotten used to it in ten years but she only knew Alec’s depiction of them. Jace was blatantly missing his other half, Izzie’s eyes did not have the spark Jane had heard about and Magnus was the worse. Jane wanted so badly to tell him and know if he had moved on. For Alec she hoped he did not.

Jane knew how much Alec loved them and with a single sentence she could bring back hope to their life except the consequences of them having this hope could lead to the worse despair ever.

* * *

 

“Why don’t you hide your warlock mark?” asked Clary on day, while Jane was trying to figure out a spell to portal to limbo.

She raised her head.

“I don’t have a reason to hide it that’s all.”

“Other warlocks hide them.”

“That’s their problem.”

Clary did not press the matter anymore but it made Jane realise how limbo had changed her. Before being trapped, she did not care much about her serpent eyes, most people thought it was contacts lenses but she still had to hide them from time to time. Once in limbo, living with Alec for ten years, she forgot about them, hiding it seemed a waste of magic.

Adele came in and asked Clary to go see Izzie for some matter. Jane kept and reading, ignoring the older warlock staring right at her. Adele was nice but suspicious, if the others doubted Jane’s story they said nothing. Adele kept raising her doubts and it made Jane trust the woman even less than she would normally do.

Suddenly the doors of room opened and two guards appeared, Jane was about to react when Adele bounded her hands with magic.

“Now. Let’s have a real talk.” She nodded to the guards and they brought a sword. One look at it and Jane could guess it was the infamous Soul Sword, her throat got very dry suddenly, one guard held her down while the other put her hand on the sword.

“You can’t lie touching the sword. So, are you really trying to get a book in limbo?”

Jane tried to stay silent but her hand felt like it was burning, the feeling spreading through her arm.

“Yes.” She answered already breathless.

“Is it the only thing?”

Refusing to answer, Jane glared at Adele, her mouth only opened to let a scream escape her lips. She heard people coming inside the room, shouting but the burning did not stop and the angelic magic forced her to utter an answer.

“No. It is not.”

Adele started smirking, Jane raised her head and saw that the warlock had put an invisible magic barrier keeping the rest of the Institute out of the room. Magnus was trying to get through but the wall stood still.

“Adele! Stop this! You are breaking Clave agreement!” shouted Lydia.

“I don’t care about this! This girl lied and I intend to know the truth.”

“There are other ways!” Argued Jace. He remembered the pain of the sword too well.

“I don’t have time! Now Jane, is he alive?”

Jane stared with horror in her eyes!

“You’re working for Lilith.” She said.

Adele did not refute her accusation and the surprise of it had Magnus stop struggling against the magic wall.

“Answer!” commanded Adele.

People shouted, tried to get through, but the pain prevented Jane from answering, tears rolling on her cheeks she fought the urge to answer with everything she had.

“You would die for him?”

The question changed and the pain stopped for a second, allowing Jane to raise her head.

“You can’t go to Lilith without proof or my testimony.”

“Your silence is enough to know.” Adele was losing her composed attitude, getting angry, desperate.

The two woman knew Jane refusal to answer was not enough to convince Lilith to open a portal to limbo, especially not knowing where.

“What is this about!” shouted a voice beyond the barrier. Adele turned back toward them, clearly annoyed.

“Lilith sends everything dangerous for her in limbo. A place in between, almost impossible to reach. She sends everything and everyone getting too close to kill her.” She explained

“No…” Izzie barely whispered.

People turned to her, still trying to understand what the warlock meant. Only Magnus seemed as horrified as her.

“Now shut up, so I can ask her what I want!” Adele added. She turned back to Jane and finally asked: “Where is Alexander Lightwood?”

“Facilis descensus avernus.” Said Jane before the pain overtook her.

On the other side of the wall Magnus looked to Rafael who started to get everyone away from him and he let his magic slip away, anger and despair pulsing through him. The barrier got destroyed in a matter of second and shadowhunters and downworlders attacked Adele and the guards still holding Jane down.

Adele whispered “Thanks” to Jane before disappearing in a portal, abandoning the guards to die.

 

 

 


	5. The plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jane get's busy

Time had stopped for all of them, Luke had somehow gotten to the kneeling Jane and was checking on her. Neither the Lightwoods, Magnus or Jace could react. Clary spoke first.

“Alec is alive.” Not even a question, no doubt possible after all of this. Jane was getting up, her magic checking her wounds, calming her nerves still raw from the pain.

“I need a potion.” She looked toward Magnus, he was still exhausted from his battle against Adele’s wall of magic and stared back at her in disbelief.

That was when Jace reacted.

“Wait?! Why do you need a potion? Why the hell would you not tell us Alec is alive!?” his anger rising he stood in front of Jane. “Why should we trust you?”

“Jace! She almost died refusing to answer Adele.” Argued Clary.

However, as Jane looked around the room she could see everyone waiting for her answers. After Adele 's escape shadowhunters from all over the Institute were here, Raphael, Luke, Simon, Lydia and all of Alec’s family.

She moved her left wrist and a long and old sword appeared. In a flash, everyone in the room got into a battle stance but she ignored them and planted the sword in the floor, the blade sinking with ease in the stone.

“This is the Damned Sword, the opposite of the Soul Sword. To kill Lilith you need both swords and a spell. Alex and I know what the spell is, when to use it, how to kill Lilith.”

“You don’t need the book. You need Alec.” Deduced Luke.

“Yes. Lilith never thought a shadowhunter would survive in limbo this long, so when her soldiers died there, she only brought me back. Alex is still there, alone, and she will get him. Adele found out he is alive, she won’t have to search Limbo long before finding him.”

Gasps resounded around her. She turned to Jace.

“You’ll feel it when Alex is back in this dimension, I will get to him. I can portal to him in a instant, and we need to be quick.”

“Lilith will have protections.” Argued Magnus it felt weird for him to ear Alexander be called Alex but somewhat it helped him focus on what needed to be done.

“Not for the link Alex and I have.”

“What is it?” asked Maryse.

Jane sighed.

“Later, we don’t have much time.” She conjured a few ingredients and a table to mix them. Magnus and Raphael got closer. It took a minute to understand what she was doing.

“Jane.” Whispered Magnus, horror in his eyes.

“What is it?” asked Izzy.

“I can get to Alex but we won’t be able to fight Lilith and her demons and seelies all by ourselves. You’ll need a potion to track me.”

“But Magnus said there would be protection against tracking.” Said Lydia.

“You can track any downworlder, anywhere if you get one thing. Their mark.” Explained Raphael.

Clary let an horrific gasp out, staring at Jane’s eyes.

“You can’t? You can’t sacrifice your eye! There must be another way.” Trying desperately to summon some new rune, Clary went to stop Jane’s right and gloved hand but Jane stopped her.

“Well, I won’t. There is a reason I don’t hide my eyes. As soon as people see one warlock mark, they never imagine we sometimes have more.” And as she said so, she rolled up her left sleeve and dropped the glamour she had on her arm, revealing a green serpent skin. Summoning a knife she cut her flesh barely flinching and dropped it next to the potion.

“As soon as I portal to Alex, you throw the flesh in the potion and a portal will open to us.”

Magnus nodded, his mind was constantly wondering what was the relationship between this woman and Alec, what must have happened in ten years for her to be prepared to die for him. What was this link that allowed her to portal to him in an instant? He felt Raphael’s hand on his shoulder, and Magnus shook these thoughts away. After, he will deal with everything after, once Alexander was back. His heart swelled at the idea of seeing Alec one more time.

“How long are we going to wait?” asked one shadowhunter but his question was met with the glare of half the people in the room.

“Not long.” Answered Jane.

And barely a few minutes after she said that, Jace gripped his parabatai rune and gasped, feeling Alec again for the first time in a decade. Jane turned to Magnus and said.

“Be ready.”

She took the Damned Sword, extended her right arm, as if she was trying to hold someone hand and disappeared in a flash.

Magnus grabbed the serpent flesh and threw it in the potion, a huge portal appeared and everyone went in. All of them blindly trusting a stranger for Alec.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Malec is coming soon. Thank you all for your Kudos and comments.


	6. Into battle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last fight with Lilith, reunion and revelation.

 

 

Jace had a firm grip on the Soul Sword, all around him battle was raging on, he was defending himself with his own seraph blade, his parabatai rune pulsing with renewed life. He tried to focus his mind on finding Alec, in a split second he felt his presence a bit further back, he looked and saw Jane next to a man with long dark hair.

“Alec ! “ he yelled while throwing the Soul Sword toward his brother, Alec grabbed the sword with a precision Jace had never seen in his brother. He had no time to think about it as demons and seelies were attacking him.

 

As soon as Jace’s scream was heard, the fight took a different turn for the Clave and their allies. If upon arrival they had been overwhelmed with the number of assailants, now that they knew Alec Lightwood was here and alive they fought with a hope they had not known for years.

Izzie was killing her opponents with a deadly precision she had acquired these last years, Magnus focused on killing as many demons as he could trying to keep his eyes from searching Alec in the crowd.

Young shadowhunters and downworlders knew the story of Alexander Lightwood, previous Head of the Institute of New York, advocate for more equality between shadowhunters and downworlders, the High warlock’s boyfriend. They all knew how he disappeared and the toll it took on the most important people in the Clave, the Lightwoods, the Herondale, the Blackwell. When some of them caught a glimpse of the fight this legendary man was dealing with, they felt admiration only to be brought back to their own battles.

 

Alec stood with the Damned Sword in his left hand, Jane in front of him held the Soul Sword in her right hand, Lilith standing between them. The sentences from the book that got him into limbo rang in his ears.  _Only when demon touch soul and angel touch damned will the mother of all evil die._

“You can’t kill me! The combined power of these swords is not enough! To work they need to be yield by their own people, but to kill me, the opposite must be done. I made sure of the impossibility of this!”

Alec looked at her with pity, she was grasping at straws of hope that they had not been insane enough to do what was necessary. He tightened his grip on the sword and lunged toward her at the same time as Jane, Lilith sent a blast of magic his way but years of training with Jane helped him avoid it with ease.

As soon as the swords plunged into Lilith, demons stopped attacking for a split second, allowing shadowhunters to take the upper hand. Seelies saw that they were losing and gave up fighting and the battle was over in a few minutes.

 

All eyes turned toward Jane and Alec standing above Lilith body but the two of them were oblivious of the attention on them. They dropped their weapons and threw themselves in the other’s arms, Alec allowed a breath of relief escape him. In the weeks alone in limbo he lost hope several times, now Jane was here, and all was right again.

They relaxed in each other’s embrace before letting go, only for Jace to embrace Alec. The feeling was foreign and familiar at the same time. Years had passed and so much had changed for both men but their bond, finally awake had them grasping the over fearing he would disappear in an instant.

Jane eclipsed herself as the whole Lightwood family went to reunite with Alec, commenting on his long air or young face. She caught the sound of Alec’s laugh after Isabelle commented on the virtue of not growing old in the limbo and Jane cringed a bit. There was still so much unsaid, left to explain, she saw Magnus standing away from the reunion and sighed. Jane took both swords and went toward Lydia who was talking with Rafael, Cat, Luke and a Seelie who led the ones who sided against their queen. They stopped their conversation and stared at the swords she was holding.

“Lydia? You’re representing the Clave right?”

“Yes.”

“And who here represents the Downworlders?”

Warlocks, vampires, werewolves and seelies looked around a bit lost, no one daring to speak. Rafael was the one breaking the awkwardness.

“Before today it would have been Adele.” His eyes glanced were her body laid on the floor, killed by a werewolf.

“And before that it would have been Magnus.” Added Luke. Jane smiled.

“Then, Lydia, here is the Damned Sword, Magnus here is the Soul Sword.” She said, giving them the swords.

“Shouldn’t it be the other way around?”

“You can’t just decide this on your own.”

Jane glared at the shadowhunter who said that and turned back toward Lydia and Magnus.

“Alex and I talked about it a lot. The Soul Sword can kill downworlders, the Damned Sword can kill shadowhunters. Somewhat, we both feel they will be better protected if they are kept by the one they endanger.”

Magnus and Lydia looked at her as if she was insane, their eyes wandering toward where Alec was before taking the sword they were given. It was a new beginning, one the Clave would hate but Lydia knew it was necessary. Magnus looked at the sword with awe, recognising the trust put on him by the Downworld, especially after he disappeared for so long. Clave envoys were arriving in the warehouse, in a snap of his fingers, the sword disappeared.

“It’s safe.” He said and Rafael nodded.

Jane was about to say something when she heard Alec scream her name. She turned one her heels to see two demons they thought dead attacking her. No one had time to react and both Alec and her reacted on instinct. She grabbed the closest weapon, a seraph blade with her right hand and the blade glowed. She cut the first demon throat and saw the second fell beside her, further in the room Alec’s left fingers were glowing with magic.

Everyone was looking at them in awe and horror. Jane put the blade in her left hand and it stopped glowing. In a swift movement Clave envoys immobilised the two of them, cuffed them and holed them to their feet.

“Until we clear what exactly you two are, you will stay in the Clave custody.” Said a man.

“What a surprise!” mumbled Jane.

They took her first through a portal. Alec stopped near Lydia.

“Can you do me a favour?”

“I’ll do whatever I can to free you.” She answered.

“No. Not that. Maria Salmanti. Find her please and bring her to us when they let us go.”

Lydia had no time to answer before Alec was pushed in the portal.

 

“What the hell!” finally said Jace, voicing what they all thought.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There was a reason I was weirdly insistant on which hand they used all that time. ^^ There is also a reason's why Jane says "Alex" and not Alec or Alexander but you'll read about that later. 
> 
> Loving your comments and kudos. Keep them coming it's amazing!!!
> 
> Ps: I changed the rating cause their is not mature content in this fic. Sorry for the false advertisement. My next fic should be mature.


	7. Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Explanations and two reunions.

« We were in limbo for ten years. We search for a way to kill Lilith in the books of the Atlantis Library. The only way was for a downworlder to wield the Damned Sword with angel blood and for a nephilim to wield the Soul Sword with demon blood."

"We never did want to go to such extend, for years we tried to find a way out, fighting demons sent or lost in limbo. We survived. Then I got hurt, badly."

"Alex was dying, I got desperate, he agreed to the exchange even though we had no idea if this was going to work. I had found the spell in an old book a few months before, he got my blood in his left arm so he could still activate the runes on his arrows with his right hand, I got his in my right one."

"The bandages contain the magic she gave me with her blood, I don't control it very well. It's not a lot of magic, but enough to cause damage when I lose control. Her gloves hide the runes I drew on her arm."

Alec and Jane told the same story, interrogated in different cells, they were calm, showing no fear whatsoever. The inquisitor watched the tapes again and again, searching for something to help her come to a decision. These two saved the word when the word had given up on them for years but they were different, something new, and the Clave hated new things.

"M'am? What should we do with them?" asked a guard.

Inquisitor Herondale was old, she had made a lot of bad decisions in her life but it never kept her awake at night. She always did what seemed right at the time. Ten years ago she would have locked them up, have people test their blood, put them on trial for giving the Soul Sword to the Downworld. Now however she could not bring herself to do so, the Circle was dead, Lilith gone, the Seelies rebels capitulating. Maybe it was time for a new era, for her generation to retire.

"Let them go."

"Yes M'am".

And she could swear she saw a bit of relief in the young guard's face.

* * *

Jane could not believe they were letting them go, prepared for the guards to attack her at any moments, only Alec's touch on her arm calmed her a bit. They arrived in a corridor leading to the room where Alec's family was waiting for him.

"You're finally home." She said.

"Almost." He smiled. "But you are."

She threw him a questioning glance but he just motioned to the room where his family was, in the back stood Lydia with a woman with dark hair, her face wrinkled that had Jane's heart leaping in her chest. She ran toward her and threw herself in Maria's arm.

"You're here. You're alive." Whispered Maria as her hands stroked Jane's hair.

"I've missed you so much. I thought you would have moved on."

"Never. I did promise you forever."

Jane smiled and kissed Maria softly, magic flowing inside her and glamouring her face so what it would like is she was 56, the same as her wife.

Maria took a step back and a crooked smile appeared on her face.

"You could have looked young a bit younger, it was kinda hot."

* * *

Alec stood in front of the door uncertain, Izzie had given him this hotel address, surprising him when she told him Magnus did not live in New York anymore. He suddenly felt very vulnerable, a fool on the doorstep of his life. He took a deep breath and knocked.

"Cat I am not in the moo…." Magnus stopped mid-sentence, staring at Alec.

"Hi Magnus, can we talk?"

Magnus stayed silent but moved out of the doorway, Alec stepped inside hesitantly. Turning toward Magnus whose face held many emotions Alec could not bring himself to decipher. He took a deep breath before speaking.

"It's been ten years and I have am not expecting you haven't moved on. I know you all thought I was dead or stuck somewhere. But Magnus I love you still. Always. If you have moved on with your life I will step away right away, not bothering you."

His breath caught in his throat, he had prepared his speech years ago and yet to say it had him begging to the Angel for a second chance with Magnus. So he continued.

"However. If you want too, we could be together again. No matter the years that have passed, it was mostly surviving for me. I want to know what I missed, I, I want you Magnus."

Silence fell on them and Alec could not bring himself to look toward Magnus, fearing what he might see. The hope of seeing Magnus again was the only thing that got Alec going in limbo.

A soft hand stroke his cheek, making Alec look up and stare at Magnus glistening eyes.

"Ten years are nothing to a warlock. I would have waited centuries for you Alexander. I love you, only you, no matter how much time pass."

Alec let go a breathe of relief and crashed his lips to Magnus', reuniting with him. The kiss started desperate but slowed as they realize they found each other again. When they broke away, they hugged each other, Magnus nuzzling Alec's neck and Alec smelling the other man's hair.

"I'm home." He whispered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One chapter left. I hope you've liked the Malec scene, there will be more (like the entire next chapter is about them). 
> 
> I have started working on a new fic called "Run and never look back". Here is the summary : "At 14 Alec got beat up by his parents for being gay, he ran away and hid, getting closer to the downworld community."  
> Once he meet Magnus it's full on Malec. All about their relationship ^^ bit of angst but not much.  
> Hope I'll see you when I start publishing once this one is finished. 
> 
> Kudos and comments are LIFE.


	8. Trust

Magnus kissed Alec slowly first, almost hesitant but Alec responded with passion, urgency from a decade of longing. Magnus gripped his shirt, trying to ground himself, them in the moment, his hands slipped underneath the shirt and slowly stroke his skin. He could feel many scars, more than he remembered. New ones, proofs of his time in limbo, proofs he survived. Alexander was here, back in his arms.

They fell onto the bed, clothes forgotten, the only thing remaining was the dark bandages on Alec's left arm. A silence fell between them as Magnus hesitated to remove it. Alec sat up a bit and left a shaking right hand to undo them but stopped.

"Magnus... I... You know, I have warlock blood in my arm. I.. The bandages are here to help me control it."

"I know. But Alexander, I don't fear some magical outburst."

He stroke Alec's cheek who leaned against his hand, eyes closing, then turned his head to kiss Magnus' palm.

"I thought so but... you see, Jane got runes on her right arm, and I..." he then slowly undid his bandages, revealing his palm skin, no runes, but patches of green, serpent-like scales.

His eyes averted Magnus' gaze who slowly, rose Alec's arm and stroke the skin, sending shivers to the man's body.

He then lifted Alec's head with one finger, and dropped his glamour, kissed Alec's scaly palm and stared back at him.

"You are beautiful Alexander."

Somewhere, in the hotel room, a lightbulb shattered from Alec's magic respond. Magnus chuckled, soon followed by Alec before they found themselves kissing again and reuniting

* * *

Magnus woke up to an empty bed again. Since Alec came back, it was a recurring fact. They would make love but Alec would be awake before Magnus. On night, whimpers and sobbing woke Magnus who found Alec shaking, a blade in hand, eyes searching for a menace in the empty room.

That night, Magnus realised how broken Alec was after his decade in limbo.

He wished he could help but Alec refused to talk about it. He asked many questions about Magnus's lonely years, not judging him, even the evening when Magnus gathered the courage to tell him about his annual drunken hook-up.

He was so scared, feeling like he betrayed the man he loved but Alec said nothing, engulfed him in a hug and whispered that he understood.

* * *

It took weeks for them to find some kind of routine back between them. Magnus went back to the loft and stood there for hours staring at the emptiness, brought back to the day he left years after Alec's disappearance. When he came back to his senses, he portaled to the Institute, searching it until he saw Alec training with Jace. Izzie came behind him and startled him.

"Magnus? Is everything ok?"

"I... Yes... I just, sometimes I feel like it's a dream, I just need..."

"To check if he's really there?" she continued.

He nodded and stared back at Alec.

"Some days it feels like he's back there, looking nowhere and not seeing me. He doesn't talk, he ... I don't think he's living yet. I feel like he's still in surviving mode."

Izzie gave him a small smile.

"I know. Just, give him time. It's all we can do."

"He talks to her though." Magnus added before Izzie could leave.

"Jane? Are you jealous?" she tried to tease him but he answered seriously.

"Yes. I am. I lost him, waited for ten years and now, now I want him all for myself. I know I can't, he has a parabatai, and now another link to a warlock no less. But some nights, I wish I could just stop time and have him, only for me."

He did not know where this confession came from, and to say it to Isabelle, he wanted to apologize but she only squeezed his shoulder and kissed him on the cheek before leaving.

Magnus stayed a bit longer, watching Alec sparing until he turned around and smiled at him and all was right in the world again.

* * *

Magnus was busy decorating the new appartement he bought, the old one was stuffed with too many memories, they needed a new start. So he spent days trying to engage Alec in the remodeling before giving up after one argument on colors. Alec learnt many things in limbo, but not how to appreciate other colors than black and grey.

A knock startled Magnus out of his thoughts, turning around his found himself facing Jane.

"Hi Magnus, I thought we could talk a bit."

"Right dear, come this way, the living room is a bit more finished than this one."

She smiled and followed him. They sat down on different sofa before an awkward silence fell down.

"Alex is stupid sometimes." she declared out of the blue.

"Excuse me?"

"About you. Alex is always acting stupidly about you. Almost got him killed back in limbo. A demon shapeshifted into different people from our lives. Somehow Alex only lost his shit when it shifted into you."

Magnus did not know what to say to that so he asked the first thing on his mind.

"Why do you call him Alex?"

Jane smirked.

"When he presented himself his said he was Alexander Lightwood. So I started calling him that but you call him Alexander and only you. I went for Lightwood for a while, but it got weird after a few months. We had talked a lot, he told me to call him Alec but I also learnt that his name came from his little sister, who could not pronounce Alexander right."

"And you did not wanted to remind him he was away from his family."

Jane nodded and Magnus smiled softly.

"You are a good person Jane."

"I try. That's why I am here. I'm leaving with my wife, we have some catching up to do and, she's a mortal so each day is precious after losing ten years."

Magnus breath got caught in his throat, reminded that even if Alexander did not age in the last ten years, he would.

Jane made a annoyed sound with her tongue and Magnus was a bit offended of her reaction to his inner turmoil.

"So he really did not tell you. Stupid stupid boy."

"What..."

"Alex got part of my blood, and part of my warlock magic. Which means he got part of my immortality too."

Magnus stopped breathing for a while. Struggling to find words to express his confusion, happiness, relief and a bit of anger toward Alexander who hidded that very important fact.

"I needed to check, be sure, but as of a week ago I can tell you with certainty Alex got part of my immortality and I bit of mortal blood."

"Don't you... regret it."

Jane laughed.

"God no. I never was a fan of the living for ever idea. But I'll still live for a heck of a long time. If my calculations are right Alex will age one year every decade. I have more of a one year every 50 years kind of odds."

Jane let the news sink in Magnus' mind, his eyes moving as he was calculating the time he got to share with the man he loved.

"Centuries, we have centuries."

The door opened at this precise moment, Alec stared between the two warlock, Jane had the biggest smile on her face and Magnus was still dumbfound.

"What's going on?" he asked when Magnus looked at him with teary eyes. Jane got up and whispered in his ear.

"What... but... I was going to... You should have... you..." his tone went from surprise to anger to resignation.

"I am leaving now, I'll see you some time in a few decades ok?"

Alec sighed and hugged Jane.

"Thank you, for everything."

"Thank you Alexander Lightwood, I would have lasted a day longer in limbo without you."

* * *

"Magnus..."

"Do you regret it? Your semi-immortality?"

"What ? No, of course not. I want as much time as I can have with you, I always have."

"But... your siblings..."

"Have their own life. My future is not with them, it's with you. I know it'll be hard watching them die but I need to be with you."

Magnus let a chocked sob escape him before engulfing Alec in his arms who suddenly let go of all his restrains and let tears escape his eyes. He did not know if he was crying from his years lost in limbo or happiness to have a long future with Magnus and it did not matter.

They untangled themsleves after a while.

"Magnus, the clave, the downworld, no one can know that Jane and I know the spell."

"You do?"

"Yes. We hid the book in limbo but we both remember the spell. But if the clave found out they could have semi-immortal soldiers, with downworlders abilities."

"They would hunt us down. And some downworlders would love to get their hands on angelic weapons" whispered Magnus.

"Yes. Maybe one day we could tell them, let people share."

"But not now, not yet."

They stayed silent for a while, basking in the revelations and soft feelings of happiness.

"I won't be going back to the Clave. I just discussed with the Consul, I'll be some kind of freelance shadowhunter."

"Is there such a thing? " joked Magnus.

"There is now. I spent the last ten years battling demons every day, most of the hours, I just want some time to be me. Whoever I am aside from the Clave."

Magnus smiled and stroked Alec's hand.

"You are one unique person I assure you."

Alec's cheeks flushed a bit and Magnus took confort in finding he could still getthis reaction from Alexander.

"And where will that rediscovery be? The world is your oyster."

"Here, for now. I'll stay near Jace and Izzie until... they... I need to be there for the time being. Later, maybe, we could travel."

"Japan first then, a bit of South America maybe."

"That sounds good. We could have the longest honeymoon ever."

"My! Alexander ! You should propose first, and know that many warlocks have pretented to have the longest honeymoon ever. It would be quite a feat to beat."

"We have time."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! So hope is in the air today for the show! What a great day (if our hope is rewarded). I am very thankful to you all for your kudos and comments. Don't hesitate to keep them going ^^.   
> I'll post my new story Friday and maybe this week end a serie of oneshot works about Simon travelling the alternate universes ^^ a lot of fun Malec to come. Then, after july I'll work more on my Au Malec story. Gosh this ship is so inspiring. I hope you'll like how The Wait has ended. And see you soon. 
> 
> Vale


End file.
